"Ritzy, secluded mansions"

Esther Clark Park is a ritzy, secluded neighborhood nestled deep into the Palo Alto countryside. It is also very small, spanning about 0.4 square miles of leafy residential terrain. The neighborhood itself is somewhat spread out, with luxurious dream homes (and their elaborate properties) dotting the neighborhood that stretches along Palo Alto’s rolling hills. In fact, many homes are either separated by acres of lush green foliage or situated along cul-de-sacs, making for a quiet, serene environment that’s hard to find in the city.

Cornered into Arastradero Road and Foothill Expressway, Esther Clark Park is an upper middle-class, exclusively residential neighborhood. It consists of a blend of starter homes and large, staggering mansions. Styles for these residences include mid-century ranch homes, mediterranean mansions and modern (arc deco) houses. They tend to be situated on enormous properties, some stretching for 20+ acres. With so much space (and money), homeowners have a lot of options to beautify their lots. Some homes have deep, elaborate front yards with tasteful gardening and three-car garages, while others have half circle driveways and maybe a private tennis court/pool in the backyard. Yet, homes like these don’t come cheap. Median house listings are from $2 million to $5.5 million.

For young families, Esther Clark Park is connected to one of the best public school districts along the San Francisco peninsula. The neighborhood is served by the Palo Alto Unified School District which includes Nixon Elementary School, Terman Middle School and Gunn High School. All of these schools have tested high on IP tests and come heavily regarded by the local community. Elsewhere, the district is surrounded by a satellite Palo Alto hospital, the local high school, a large grassy knoll that includes a soccer field and the Alta Mesa Cemetary.

"Little Los Altos"

Nestled up against the Los Altos Hills, Esther Clarks Park is one of those tiny hole-in-the-wall neighborhoods where the majority of homes have their own private tennis court and pool. These are basically McMansions placed here to serve Silicon Valley nouveau riche. It is very nice and somewhat remote and gives you a taste for the kind of luxury that is the baseline for neighboring Los Altos Hills—one of California’s (really the world’s) richest towns.

What does a home cost up at these rarified heights? There is a 3 bedroom for sale right now on 1 and a quarter acres that will run you just over $3 million. So just about a million dollars a bedroom.